Sarah Downton Beads and Jewellery

Saturday lunchtime

Helllooooo. The sun is shining at the moment and I’m busy preparing for the bead fair at Denbies Wine Estate tomorrow, Sunday 8th June. This is the second year at this venue, but my first time here, and I can’t wait. The wine estate is a lovely place to visit from what I’ve heard, they have a couple of restaurants so breakfast, lunch and tea are catered for (Sunday roasts followed by cream tea in the afternoon, yum). Other attractions include a farm shop selling locally sourced produce, an Art Gallery with a regular series of exhibitions, a gift shop, and indoor and outdoor tours with wine tasting. So come along, buy beads and enjoy the surrounding location, make a day out of it.

I have been thinking about the sea during my preparations, and have made some gorgeous new focal beads which I have made up into sets with matching  spacer beads and a pair of donut shaped beads suitable for earrings. I hope you like them. I’ve also made some sizzling orange and red sets (you will have seen the loose beads if you looked at Facebook this week) which will pair beautifully with the red/orange clothes in Monsoon, East and M&S. I’ve also made lots of blue themed beads as I read that blue is the new black this season. I will of course have my usual selection of beads, jewellery, rummage bowls and bargain beads.

See you there, after all, you won’t be able to mow the grass as it’ll still be too wet 😉

Monday evening

It’s that time of year again, the season of Open Studios. This weekend sees most of the members of Horsham Artists Open Studios group together again, this time at Roffey Park Institute in Forest Road. This is a lovely centre that we all drive past all the time and wonder what goes on in there. Well here’s your chance to have a snoop around and see the place! We are taking over several ‘pods’ and a lovely exhibition space at the back of the central building. I’m in the large room with huge glass doors and windows overlooking the gardens with loads of natural light.

I’m working like a mad thing this week to get everything made and ready, unfortunately I’ve had a couple of bad weeks, with an ill-timed cold last week, so I have lots of catching up to do. I’m very excited to have a new table top cabinet (arrived today) to display some of my jewellery, and I’m busy making  more of my popular ‘Sparkle Nugget’ bead sets and some mini sets.

I will have a feast of lovely jewellery and new beads for you to look at and buy, including my simple ‘beads on cotton thongs’, un-cored Big Hole Bead sets to fill your charm bracelets, my credit crunch range of fun earrings, and my selection of exclusive jewellery designs. I will have sets of lovely new beads, some current favourites, my usual bargain bowls and of course my £1 rummage bowl, always popular and a good introduction to handmade lampwork beads.

With free entry, please do come and see me, enjoy the show, meet other local and guest artists, watch art and craft demonstrations in the marquee, take refreshment (they have drinks available), stroll the grounds, and buy some locally produced art. You can download your copy of our guide and brochure from the Horsham Artists Open Studios website here.

Please note that I am only doing this part of the event this year as the Open Houses weekend clashes with the Surrey Bead Fair at the Denbies Wine Estate on 8th June.
See you there.

Thurs lunchtime

Easter is fast looming into view…..and that can only mean one thing, or can it? Two things happen around Easter, the first one is Big Bead Show which is rapidly speeding towards me, Saturday April 5th, Sandown Park Racecourse. I’ve been working steadily towards this, trying to spend as much time as I can in the studio but I have to say I am being somewhat hampered by other stuff. It’s a delicate balance between making new styles, old favourites and of course leaving myself time for all the other important bits too, like my marketing, cleaning and string beads, packing for the show and all the sundries involved. I’ve been having loads more fun with my new and old frits, and there will be lots of lovely new simple designs in loads of gorgeous colours.

All my free tickets for this show have now gone, thank you for being so eager! I’m on stand 43 in my usual place near the entrance, the Bead magazine stand and up near the cafe area.

I’ll be taking card payments again with my new whizzy toy, or a Chip and Pin card reader as the Bankers like to call it. So going by our past use of it, payments will be much faster, yay.
Here’s a link to apply for your card reader and Worldpay account. Please apply using my unique URL below and you will get a £10 discount on the card reader and I get a little something too for referring you (you’ll have to copy and paste this). Sounds good to me.

http://wpzinc.me/yaK67Kq2mx

Here’s some photos to whet your appetite for Saturday, and don’t forget, the early birdies catch the best choice of beads.

Friday morning

Big Bead Show tomorrow, woop woop!

As I’m sure you know by now I love this show,  I get to see so many of you, my lovely customers, and it has a real buzz about it, probably because  it’s so busy, and most of you are so excited to be there. I also get to see a lot of my bead making buddies too, especially when Tuffnells Glass are there. It’s always a good opportunity to stock up without having to pay postage and nothing beats looking at all the lovely glass colours and tools and frit and……

So today I’m putting the finishing touches to my brand new stock (that means pricing up, lol 😉  ), sorting out and reducing a few more bargains for my SALE bowl of focals and sets, checking my stationary quantities (boring), sorting yet more bargain single beads and having a general ‘surplus bead clearout’ (yipee) and lastly packing my boxes ready for the off tomorrow. I really hope that I get an earlier night tonight rather than the usual late one I always seem to have before a show. I must also make sure I pack my huge tub of celebrations, not really sure where that is going to go, but please make sure you get yours when you spend over £10……single chocy that is not whole tub 🙂

Here’s a pic of some spooky spooks and smashing pumpkins that I made for last years’ show……..I have made more and a few penguins with Santa hats and they’re soooooo cute.

Thursday lunchtime

Half term this week, yes, again! I’ve been sorting out the stuff we need to finish off our extension. Life passes so fast, and it can be hard to make time for some of things we need to do, so this week has been full of internet searches, phone calls to companies to help me solve some of the little problems, and various orders placed. As I type our floor is on it’s way from Sweden, so I’m getting excited now.

I’ve also been a busy bee restocking my Etsy shop, which for me is filling up nicely, I have 40 items for sale, so a really nice selection. The funny thing is every time I pop some green beads in they sell really fast, so the colour range has a bit of a gap in it. I will be on a green mission next week when I get into the studio again.

Of course Valentines day came and went last week, and I was so busy teaching that we made Saturday our Valentines day. I spent the afternoon preparing a lovely chocolate and raspberry cream cake from Nigellas’ ‘Feast’ recipe book. It was supposed to be the shape of a heart but instead I made it round, it still looked Valentiny because of the chocolate and raspberries on top, and the yummy pink cream and raspberry filling. Delish!

Friday lunchtime

Thank you so much to the few of you who came to the Ardingly bead fair 2 weeks ago and bought my beadies. Even though I didn’t have many takers, I was very pleased to cover my pitch fee, so again, a huge thank you, you made my day :>). We had a lovely chilled (literally) and relaxed day out, watching the snow, enjoying Paul’s announcements over the tanoy, chatting to the other stallholders and quaffing coffee and tea. We packed up early and got home at about the time the show normally closes, even after stopping to take some snowy photos…must work out how to get them off my phone. The good news is I now have a lovely stock of new beads, and new posh photos, so I have started adding new stock to my Etsy shop.

On another strand (see what I did there?!) it’s done…my tax return was finished last Saturday, after a 7  day long slog of accounts, losing receipts, finding receipts, and general agony! and now, please sit down before you read this…..I’ve made a start on this current years accounts…..I say every year that I’m going to do this, and don’t, but this time I have, although it remains to be seen just how far I get. Of course all the missing receipts (6 months worth) from the tax return I’ve just done, were discovered while going through my green plastic wallet of receipts…why I didn’t see them when I looked several times before I really don’t know. So they’re now checked off too and the ones that got missed are ready in the wings. This is far too efficient, and rather boring, so I’m going to stop there and pop in some eye candy.

Have a great weekend.

 

Thurs morning

All my new sets are made for this show! They’ve been strung and photographed and I can actually use my new posh photos!

Now let me tell you this is totally unheard of in our house, usually photos are done one day ahead if I’m lucky, more often than not they’re done the afternoon or evening before the fair giving me the evening/night (if they’ve been done yet) to price up then pack everything else in the boxes.  So what am I going to do today? Well I shall go to my studio and make £1 beads as I know how much you like a rummage, and I’ll also make some repeat sets, and maybe some grey City Chic if I feel like it.  I feel a  fun day coming on, with maybe a fishy or two (although that will mean more photos) and lots of brightly coloured fun beads so I can pretend it’s not freezing outside……oh yes, minus 2.5 deg c in the studio today, it was misty in there just now.

Wednesday teatime

It’s nearly here and I can’t wait…well I can’t on one hand because it’s so much fun and I love the vibe and meeting up with everyone again, but on the other hand I can wait because I always need more time to prepare and it’s very hard work. It always happens that the creative juices go into overload just before a show and then I run out of time to realise my ideas. I’ve been starved of making beads today because I’m being good and doing my newsletter a bit earlier (oh yes, gasp), so if you fancy a read and are not on my mailing list, why not click on the subscribe box on the left hand side and join it. There are perks to receiving my newsletter you know, but you’ll find out what they are when you join ;>)

I’ve gone a bit autumnal with amber colours this time, and I have some more of my Autumn Chic bead sets which were snapped up very quickly last year. But fear not, I also have some vibrant beads in greens, blues and violets. I’ve also made some penguins and some Halloween themed beads, pumpkins and ghosties! wooooooo. There are also some really yummy sets of Big hole beads ready to pop on your bracelet (these are uncored so a bit lighter on your purse).

As usual I will have bargains galore, rummage pots of beads for  £1, £2 and upwards, a few chains and a little jewellery if you feel like pampering yourself and buying something ready to wear.

I’m in my usual place this time called Stand 47. Find me near the Bead magazine stand up at the cafe end near where you enter the show.

Oh and if I’m not at my stand when you visit I’ll probably be at the British Bead Awards ceremony…..I can’t wait :>)

Tuesday lunchtime

I was really pleased to be asked to judge the British Bead Awards for Bead magazine again. We’ve already done the preliminary round and have called in finalist pieces for judging this Thursday.  As ever the standard is very high and I’m looking forward to seeing the work in the flesh when we get together this week. It will also be lovely to see Jennifer Airs and Elizabeth King again, and meet Linda Jones, who has written several books on making wire jewellery. I can’t wait!

More of my beads have been used in another project in Beads and Beyond this month. ‘Harvest sunset – String your favourite rose coloured beads to create this interchangeable necklace and earring set in sunset tones.’ Designed by Helen Bowen.

The design features my Tutti Ripple, and a set of these is available in my Etsy store, and they are also available ‘Made to Order’.

I also have more new tuition dates are available,
***1 day 10 – 5 Intermediate Course, Fri 5th October. *** SOLD OUT

but I have one place on each of these
***2 day Beginners Course, Tues 23rd to Weds 24th October***
***1 day 10 – 5 Intermediate Course, Sat 10th November***
Contact me now to secure your place***

Wednesday morning

Well hellooooooo, the sun is shining and I’m about to go down to my lovely blue studio and make some more beads for all you lovely people who come and support me, as of course you know it’s my next bead fair this coming Sunday 22nd July, at the South of England Centre in Ardingly, West Sussex, 10am to 4pm. More details on my events page.

I’ve been trying to get the summer spirit by making some new beach beads and fish in the hope that the sun will come out, and am planning to make starfish and maybe a shell or two if I can come up with a design today. Actually it would help if I popped out and switched the kiln on to warm up first…….back in a mini mo…….that’s better.

So this Sunday I will have my usual mix of glass bead sets and focal beads, with several new designs, silver chains, and my ever popular rummage pots, with bargains starting at £1. I’m working on some new didy sets (matching 2’s and 3’s) for all you earring lovers and I also have some new uncored Big Hole Bead sets, perfect for filling up your Pandora, Troll or other similar charm bracelet. I may even put more beads in my sale dish, who knows!

Do come and say hi.

Tuesday morning and only 4 days to go……………..

It’s that time of year again, when artists around the Horsham area fling open their doors and invite the public to see their work at home. I’m taking part again, and this year I’m with my friend Angela Jenkinson, who mainly makes fused glass items, jewellery and home accessories.

My main focus this year is on my loose beads and bead sets, but I’ve also been busy making lots of small items, my very popular beads on adjustable length cotton thongs, and some reasonable priced earrings (I call them credit crunch earrings), I also hope to make some greeting cards and keyrings. I will have my posh glass cabinet with a display of my range of jewellery and lots of bargain bead pots full of yummy single beads.

Come along this weekend and next to see our art, watch us demonstrate how we make our glass pieces and take some refreshment with us.

Venue: Oakhurst, Pondtail Road, Horsham, RH12 5HY (5th house on the left)

See you there.

Wednesday tea time

Hello to everyone visiting from Beads and Beyond magazine. I’m very pleased to have some more of my beads featured in another project in Beads and Beyond magazine this month (June issue out 10th May). Again by jewellery designer Rebecca Anderson, who makes truly special jewellery, and certainly has a way with my beads. And here are the beads.

 

You can buy these beads, well, similar ones, from my Etsy store, and I’ll be putting some up in my web shop here also. I’ve been busy making more of these beauties today, and some donut shape ones too. I may even push the boat out and have these for sale individually, Whatcha think?

Friday afternoon

Thank you to everyone who came by at Big Bead Show to say hello and buy my beads. We had such a busy day, it was quite manic and I only managed a couple of snatched minutes to go and buy a couple of supplies that I needed, let alone have time to put any make-up on!

My next event is the Beadworks Fair at Dorking Halls on May 27th, so I’ve started making new beads for that show, and I’m planning my new makes for the Horsham Open Studios in June (16,17 and 23,24).

Hopefully you will have seen that I’ve been adding new beads (and repeat sets) to my Etsy shop every day, and always announce this on Twitter and my Facebook page, so if you want to stay up to the minute on bead buys then ‘like’ my facebook page and /or subscribe to my Etsy rss feed. I also have beads ‘made to order’ on my shop page on this website, although some of my made to order beads are in stock at the moment, so delivery could be quicker.

I  have 2 spaces a One Day Beginners course on Saturday 12th May, contact me for more information and to secure your place.

Have a great weekend, whatever the weather.

Oh and here’s some eye candy ……some of my beads in my Etsy shop

 

Friday afternoon

It’s here again, and looming up so fast. I always love going to the Big Bead Show, (Sandown Park, Esher, KT10 9AJ) and have been getting ready for months (yes really, new year resolution and all). I did fail at getting my newsletter out early as you will know if you are on my mailing list, but there have been extenuating circumstances over the last couple of weeks…..

So I will be on stand 41, my usual, up near the food hall and visible from the Bead Magazine stand. I have loads of new beads in new colours and designs, and have restocked my ever popular rummage pots, as well as making lots of ‘Didy sets’, they’re 2’s or 3’s of matched beads.

I’m also continuing my nutty spring sale with reductions of at least 25% on some focals and sets, so come and grab yourself a bargain or simply buy that gorgeous focal you’ve had your beady eyes on.

Here’s a peek at some of my new beads

See you there…….

Wednesday Evening

Welcome to everyone new to my blog, especially if you have come here from Beads and Beyond magazine. I’m really pleased to have my beads used by Rebecca Anderson in her latest project in this magazine, the Monet inspired jewellery. You can buy my Monet Blues Mix beads on Etsy and see them here in my own shop and I’ve popped a photo below.

                       

I’ve been working really hard this month to keep my Etsy shop re stocked on an almost daily basis, and very busy making my new bead stock for the Big Bead Show at the end of this month. I have several new sets of beads and lots of focal beads, I don’t seem to be able to stop making long cylinder beads at the moment! I am at last getting to grips with another make of silver glass, called TAG, and most of my new beads feature this glass, especially the tubes. Poor Richard has his work cut out at the moment taking and editing photos of my beads to go on my website and in my shops, and my thanks go to him for doing such a fab job.

Wednesday tea time

If you have been following me on Twitter or Facebook you will see that I have been a very busy bunny adding lots of new beads to my shop on an almost daily basis, I’ve ditched the Tuesday listing only and I’m popping stuff up every day at the moment. The only days I didn’t list was when I was suddenly invited to teach at West Dean College a weekend ago. Oh yes, did I tell you I taught at West Dean?!!! Here’s some snaps of the gardens.

So I had an email followed by a phone call the next day, and before I knew it I was booked to teach the Glass Beadmaking weekend class that started the same day, which meant I had 5 hours to organise my tools, glass, books and any other teaching bits I needed, pack my clothes, sort childcare and drive there to start teaching that evening. It was absolutely manic but so worth it. I had a super weekend, wonderful students who were so grateful that I had stepped in at such late notice to teach them, and my lovely Rick came too. He spent the time taking some fabulous photos and bobbing in and out of the teaching room, and also got to go on a short chocolate and wine tasting course (the lucky thing). So while I worked he stuffed chocolate……(It’s normally the other way around, lol).  It’s a fabulous place to spend time and be creative, and I was thrilled to be asked to teach there.

I’ve just added a new tuition date for anyone who is interested in coming to my studio in Horsham for a 2 day introduction to glass beadmaking. The course has one place remaining, but if you are interested in having a go and want to bring a friend, simply drop me a line and I’ll send you a list of other available dates.

New tuition date – Wednesday 18th to Thursday 19th April, Beginners Beadmaking, 1 place.

Here’s some of my latest beads added to Etsy.

Monday tea time

So the big news for this week is that I have at last set-up my own business Facebook page, yay. It’s called Sarah Downton Contemporary Glass beads (no surprise there then!)

If you haven’t already then click below to like my new Facebook page, it will be grey if you have already liked it.

I have to admit that it took the best part of Friday to do, and is a work in progress as I have a few little bits to add to it, but you don’t need to worry about them. You can also access a peek at my Etsy store page from the page by clicking on the Etsy button on the left hand side of my new page. Did I tell you I have a new page yet? 😉 You can follow the link to go and have a looksee, and I’d love it if you’d love my page. That way I can keep you in touch with my latest beads, happenings, fairs, and Etsy listings. To make it even more worth your while I will be having a giveaway, to be drawn randomly from everyone who likes my page. I haven’t yet decided what the prize will be, but I will be announcing it later this week, and you will be eligible for the draw even if you have already liked me.

With all this flurry of activity I have also managed to add yet more new beads to my Etsy store. and I hope to revert to listing regularly on a Tuesday now that I have my shop back up to respectable levels of stock.

Here’s a look at what I added yesterday and a taster of what will go up tomorrow

Tea Time Thursday

In case you haven’t already twigged, I have new beads in my Etsy shop, yay! Some designs are completely new, others, like the Grass and Sky Jupiters have been waiting impatiently for me to take the time and make them into a lovely set, and now I have (although they are still new in regards to never having been seen in those colourways). I have another set (Terra Firma) inspired by the lovely work of American beadmaker Kim Neely, whose inspiring book of colour recipes I bought last year to help kick start my creativity and get me out of the rut I felt I was in. I have been exploring using silver glass (mainly Double Helix) and all the effects that I can get from it in simple beads but needed the push to take it all a bit further.

Here’s a peek at some of the new sets……

Friday afternoon

Valentines day has been and gone, and now we have the first half term of the new year upon us and Pancake day yet to come. We celebrated in style with a romantic candle lit dinner for 3 on Monday, which included using the chocolate fondue set I bought last year, and I made Nigella Lawson’s ‘Love Buns’ as a surprise. I couldn’t get the heart sprinkles she shows in  the book but bought some red edible glitter to use instead. The theory is that I can use it for Christmas decorating too. The only downside was that the icing was rather sickly, so I think I’ll stick to making a royal icing with freshly squeezed lemon juice again like I did last Friday. I’m so into baking at the moment, which is rather unfortunate as I just want to eat everything I’ve made, so I have to pace myself somewhat. I really wish I didn’t like cakes and puddings so much, but I won’t be hypnotising myself to give them up, like I did with crisps last June….I haven’t eaten a single real crisp, which is no loss really….empty calories.

I have yet more neads on Etsy (that should be beads, but well, maybe I should stick with neads as bead addicts need beads). I had another new set to put up for sale and went through the whole process until at the last moment I realised they were different from the photo I was using! I think Rick will have to do some more photography for me, especially as I have a real surprise of some really new beads that I’ve had in mind to make for ages and got my first chance to play with the designs this week. All will be unveiled later.

I have another new tuition date, a Beginners 4 hour taster session on Thursday 10th March, 10am to 2pm. There is one place available on this course. Contact me now to book your place, and come and have a lesson making glass beads.

Oh and here’s a photo of my Glitter Love Buns, I swirled in some red food colouring to some of the icing (I only made half the quantity and that was plenty), and unfortunately the whipped topping never set as it was supposed to.

Thursday evening

Here’s a couple of photos of some of the new beads I put on Etsy yesterday. I had a mega blitz and went mad putting 5 sets up for sale on Etsy in a sitting, and then uploading bead photos to Flickr and joining lots of groups there. I also madly ordered a brand new oxygen concentrator that I’ve had my eye on for several months…since last April to be precise.

Today I’ve been having a bit of a paper clear out. Very boring, extremely tedious, and unfortunately necessary every so often. I’ve managed to get rid of a 2 foot pile of paper from my work area, and while going through the oddments came across a major task list from 2 years ago. It was brilliant! I was able to cross off every single job except one, I had actually achieved all I planned back in 2009. Ok so it took 2 years but I’d done them. The main and exciting reason I stayed indoors today, was because I needed to welcome the courier with my new super doopah wizzy powerful oxycon that should have enough wellie to power the bigger Nortel Midrange torch that I’m hoping to get in April, or even just give my existing torches more power, hopefully like using tanked oxygen. It arrived successfully and is sat on the carpet in front of me waiting to be carried down to the studio tomorrow.

I should also announce that I have responded to several requests to sell pairs of beads suitable for earrings so I have a new section in my Etsy shop called Didy Sets. This is my new range of mini bead sets, these contain 2 or 3 beads and are small enough to be used for matching earrings and a pendant or simply to add to a charm dangly type bracelet or similar.

Here’s what I have for sale so far